fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3215 ]

[ SECRET POST #3215 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3215 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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[Disney's Descendants]

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04. [SPOILERS for Undertale]

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05. [SPOILERS for Ancillary Mercy]

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06. [SPOILERS for Great British Bake Off, series 6]

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07. [SPOILERS for Defiance]

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08. [SPOILERS for shepherd's crown]

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09. [WARNING for abuse]

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Should you let cats outdoors? Which is worse: keeping an outdoors only cat, or keeping a cat in a tiny apartment?

No, you should not let cats outdoors. Keeping an outdoors only cat is worse. Cats can be perfectly happy indoors, if given proper attention and stimulation. Sitting in a windowsill looking out at the birds is just as entertaining as going out and chasing them. Outdoor cats kill and eat things (birds, squirrels, rabbits), and outdoor cats are killed and eaten by things (dogs, coyotes, vehicles, poisons).

I've lived in both the UK and the US, and find that the opinions among cat enthusiasts are totally opposite. The US opinion tends to be "keep cats indoors because it's dangerous to let them out" and the UK opinion is "it's cruel to keep cats indoors, it goes against their nature".

I'm a bit more moderate. If you live in a very safe, quiet area, it's probably fine to let your cat out a bit, but they should be in at night, and it's best if you keep an eye on them while they are out. They should be primarily inside and you should understand the risks when you let them out.

I do think it's cruel to keep a cat inside a tiny apartment, yes. A good alternative would be to leash-train your cat (it can be done, with some patience!), so your cat can get a little outdoor time.

Outdoor cats make more sense in the UK, IMO. Outside of major cities, the traffic isn't anywhere near as bad, the UK doesn't have as many large predators as the US and more temperate weather. If I lived there in a quiet enough neighborhood with a cat who wanted to go outdoors, I would allow it. Actually I'd probably let my cat roam outdoors in the US if it showed an inclination to do so, but I'd make that judgment call based on individual cats. Some are happy indoors all their lives, others aren't.

There are FAR more quieter, more spacious rural areas in the US than the UK. And people in big cities like London let their cats out into traffic all the time - can speak from personal experience here (not my cats, obviously). And even in central London you get foxes roaming around that are more than happy to pick off cats. I mean, I agree, that probably in low-traffic, quiet communities without big predators is probably safe enough for a cat to wander, but it isn't a matter of it just being safer in the UK.

No. Cats should not be outdoors. Also, dogs should be allowed outdoors. And preferably should be walked, not just let into the yard.

You think dogs should be allowed to roam outdoors?

They clearly said walked?

"dogs should be allowed outdoors."

And they said "preferably", which doesn't really indicate much.

Did you somehow stop reading before you got to the word "yard"?

"not just let into the yard"

and not everyone's yards has fences. My neighbors let their damn dogs "into their yard", but the dogs will run into others' yards to chase things and such. Annoying as fuck.

That would not be letting the dog into the yard. That would be letting the dog into the neighbors' yard and the street and the world in general. Dog in yard stays in yard. Dog roaming neighborhood is not in yard.

"not just let into the yard"

I realize you are passionate about this. but it is weird to say "dogs should be allowed outside" but "cats should not".

Not really though? Cats are small and suited to indoor life, sleep a lot, scratch on scratching posts, chase feather toys. Dogs tend to be bigger and more energetic and require lots of exercise, long runs, fetching tennis balls, to avoid becoming destructive to furniture and such.

There is the argument that male cats spray and their pee destroys furniture and flooring, which can be prevented if allowed to go outside. But honestly I have no cat in this race.

What. Have you had neither of either pet and you're making this claim? Cats absolutely need lots of stimulation. And, you do know that dogs come in different sizes, right?

I have had both. I have already pointed out that cats need stimulation. Forgive me for not naming every single toy that a cat might play with. And "Dogs tend to be bigger" =/= "Every dog is a Great Dane". It is a fact that dogs tend to be bigger than cats. Unless you keep tigers in apartments. Don't keep tigers in apartments.

Roam, no, unless you have a yard. But "indoor dogs" are as bad an idea as "outdoor" cats. They need to walk.

I think if you live in a safe area its fine to let a cat out. If you can't do that - be one of those people who walks your cat on a leash, or at the very least make some kind of out door patio the cat can spend time on (but can't escape from.)

Opinions about this do seem to be very different in the US than they are in my country. Here, when I got my current cat from the shelter, they were insistent that cats should go outside. I told them I wanted a cat who could stay indoors because I might be moving to an apartment soon and they showed me all the cats, but only tried to 'introduce' me to the two cats who were used to staying inside.

They didn't say anything about safety, instead they said that cats are social animals who need contact with other cats. The two cats I was shown were used to being alone and/or didn't like other cats. Another option suggested was getting two cats at once, but I was a bit reluctant to do that. But I'm pretty sure that if I had tried to leave with an outdoor cat after saying I'd keep it indoors, that volunteer would have tried to stop me.

I kinda agree with this even as someone from the US - especially if someone lives alone and works a lot and thus can't spend a whole lot of time with their cat. Cats generally do need attention some way or another, be it from another cat or from people. I've met some cats who were very obviously not given the attention they needed, and it really showed with how they acted. Some cats (like people) will handle it better than others though.

Yeah, I don't live in the US so it's always really strange to see how diametrically opposed to outdoor cats some Americans can be. Where I live indoor/outdoor cats are the norm, mostly because if you want a cat or a dog you need to actually have a house as most flats don't allow for pets, and since the house comes with a garden well why not let the cat out into it?

I don't really know where I stand on this issue tbh, my cats have always had a cat-flap so they can come and go as they please and it's never been an issue, but if I had to keep a cat indoors for some reason or another I wouldn't think that was awful.

I don't know about that social claim, as domestic cats can be very solitary when they have grown up that way. Now a cat who is used to living with another will miss that other, but will probably have issues getting used to a new cat.

I think both have their issues, especially in a country like Australia, where cats can have a serious impact on the native fauna, but conversely cats do need some space and freedom to live.

I don't like the idea of a cat being stuck in a small apartment (besides the fact that often apartment building here won't allow cats anyway), because cats do have a drive to get outside and hunt and patrol.

To tell the truth, my family has always had a habit of cats being allowed out during the day but kept inside at night. We weren't always successful in that, cats can be real escape artists when they want to.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #3215 ]

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